Athens
When my dear friends and Greek-American couple Z & I decided to get married in Athens, I might have been the first person to buy a plane ticket. We planned an 11 day late summer vacation around it: 3 days in Athens, 2 days on the island of Paros, 4 days in Corsica, and 2 in Paris for good measure.
The six of us flew in on a Friday and congregated at our peaceful, sun-soaked Airbnb on the outskirts of Athens in the sleepy beachside town of Vouliagmeni, where souvlaki and the Aegean sea are a stone's throw away. We devoted day one to lounging by the riviera, but on day two we were feeling ambitious. We trekked to the Acropolis early to beat the crowds, and spent a few hours marveling at the ruins. (Pro tip: Download Rick Steves' Acropolis Audio Tour on your phone in advance. Might look silly, but there's no other thorough, inexpensive way to access the history behind what you’re looking at.)
We toured the Acropolis museum then found our way to the tiny village of Anafiotika nestled on the slope of the Acropolis hill. It's one of the oldest and most peaceful, picturesque parts of Athens, full of winding narrow alleyways, sprawling cafes, bright shutters and flowery vines wrapping around white terraces and rooftop patios. I love the history behind Anafiotika. 200 years ago, the first modern king of Greece drew carpenters and masons from the island of Anafi to help renovate Athens and his palace. They quickly built this little village next to the Acropolis and named it Anafiotika after their island, recreating their white-washed island homes in this new place. We shared plates of feta, souvlaki, kebabs, olives, and baba ganoush...
The dreamy wedding celebration kicked off at sunset on the water, and ended at sunrise (in the water). Photos will never do the night justice. These are the only ones I took all night!
Wandering up to Lykavittos for sunset our last evening in Athens
Paros
After the wedding, a group of us took a 4 hour ferry ride over to the island of Paros for a "mini-moon" with Z & I. Paros has it all: petit fishing harbors, friendly white-washed villages speckled with churches, and an abundance of quiet, sandy beaches. It's idyllic. We stayed at a lovely Airbnb in Naussa for two nights. Day one, three of us spent our day munching on fresh calamari and grape leaves and exploring Golden Beach and Kolimbithres beach.
On Day two, we rented a fishing boat and captain and spent the afternoon at sea — soaking up sunshine, snorkeling and cliff-jumping off the nearby islands.
My farewell to Greece was absolutely not a forever goodbye. We ferried our sunburned, salty selves back to Athens, devouring a bowl of greek yogurt, and one last souvlaki... Until next time!
Corsica
A quick flight through Marseilles, and we found ourselves in another beachside paradise, this one more uniquely ruggedly beautiful than the last. The mountainous French island of Corsica lies in between Tuscany and Côte d'Azur (at one point we could see Sardinia from the boat). The locals are fiercely independent, and notoriously unwelcoming to visitors. I felt lucky to be with 5 of the loveliest Frenchies, staying at a friend's home nestled in the mountains (complete with a magical outdoor shower, geckos galore, and seaside vistas!).
The 4 days we spent in this undeveloped little paradise felt like the ultimate European vacation. The kind I was not so familiar with. The days started leisurely with French baguettes, biscuits, and jam. We'd eventually make our way to the boat for a snorkeling adventure, followed by an apero on the patio (i.e. an abundance of charcuterie, cheeses, rosé, and cigarettes), late dinner, and card games into the wee hours. By then, the 70% of French that I normally understood would have plummeted to something closer to 10%... Then I knew it was time for bed.
Zipping around the island by boat:
We spent our last evening in the harbour of Bonifacio, at the southern tip of the island. This was might have been the only time we actually came into contact with other people during our time in Corsica!
And reluctantly, on Sunday we all flew back to rainy Paris for a slow transition back to reality.
